Alrighty! I do not own Naruto at all! All rights and regulations do go to Masashi Kishimoto! Azuna does belong to me however! Ok now to write this fan fiction I did use the episodes and I used all of the actual sentences said from the anime so all of those rights again go to the producers, Madman Entertainment and of course the beautiful voice actors and everyone on the crew. Thanks guys... hope you like it!
Chapter Seven: Pass or Fail: Survival Test! Part One
"He's late." Naruto complain looking out into the hallway again.
Sakura was leaning up against a desk and Sasuke sat silently at his own resting his chin on his hands. Azuna however was sitting beside Sasuke her head buried in her crossed arms. Naruto had poked her a few times not long ago and discovered she was asleep. Sasuke was surprised that she had actually managed to walk the whole way back to the academy on her hands but didn't voice his opinion to her.
"Naruto just sit down!" Sakura growled.
"I don't want to!" Naruto complained. "How come our teacher's the only one who's late? I'm ready to roll! Believe it! The other groups already met their new teachers and took off on some adventure or something. And Iruka-Sensei's gone to."
"We know ok?" Sakura sighed opening her eyes as she heard shuffling in the room. "Hey what are you doing?" She asked Naruto as he stood upon a chair near the doorway.
Naruto had shoved a chalky chalkboard duster between the door and the doorway so that whoever opened the door next would get hit with it. Naruto jumped off the chair with a large grin on his face. "That's what he gets for coming late! Surprise!"
"You're asking for trouble. You know you shouldn't do that." Sakura droned.
"Our teacher is a Jounin, an elite ninja. You think that he'd fall for something that like?" Sasuke said bored from his desk.
"Yeah Sasuke's right your so clueless Naruto!" Sakura whined.
Then, their silver haired Jounin teacher stepped into the room. The blackboard duster hit his head and fell to the floor. He wore the stranded Shinobi uniform and a black mask that cover his face up past his nose. His lead headband was tilted so it covered his left eye also.
Naruto burst into laughter as Sasuke elbowed Azuna to wake her up. She looked up tiredly and glanced forward seeing their Jounin. She bolted upright in her seat giving Sasuke a thankful smile.
"I'm sorry Sensei I told him not to do it but he wouldn't listen. I'd never do anything like that!" Sakura said her voice touching a lot of Azuna's nerves.
He actually fell for that cheap trick? Is this guy actually a Jounin? Sasuke thought bored to himself.
The Jounin picked up the duster and stared at the four Genin in front of him. "Hm how can I put this?" He pondered. "My first impression of this group is. You're a bunch of idiots."
All four members of team Seven looked down in shame but quickly recovered as they were asked to follow him onto the roof. They did as they were told and sat on the steps at least three metres away from their Sensei.
"Alright why don't you introduce yourselves one at a time?" Kakashi sighed bored.
"Introduce ourselves? Well what are we supposed to say?" Sakura wondered aloud.
"Things you like. Things you hate. Dreams for the future. Hobbies. Things like that." Their Sensei explained.
"How about you go first and tell us about you. Before we talk you show us how it's supposed to be done." Naruto said.
"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate. I don't really feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future, never really thought about it. And as for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." Kakashi answer simply.
"That was totally useless all he really told us was his name." Sakura muttered annoyed.
"Alright your turn. You on the right, you go first." Kakashi said.
Naruto introduced himself and went on and one about how much he loved ramen that he hated waited to ramen and how he liked eating it for his hobbies. But then he got to his interesting part about how he dreamed to be Hokage and Azuna felt proud of him and smiled.
Sakura was next and she also introduced herself. She then started giggling like a little school girl and kept looking at Sasuke. She then stated that she hated Naruto and he looked really mortified considering how big a crush he had on her.
Kakashi then turned towards his blue-haired student and his eyes went wide as he took in her face. There is absolutely no way. Kakashi thought to himself shocked. No, there is no way in the world that she could be – no, it's not possible. That girl has to be a fluke. It doesn't matter how much she looks like her that is not her daughter, it couldn't be! She would never let her daughter be Shinobi, never.
"I'm Azuna Momochi." Azuna stated simply. "I don't really like fire all that much. To be honest it kinda scares me. My hobbies are reading and sometimes dancing. And I like water lilies, animals and my family –" Azuna gasped as she just realised what she said. Her hands clenched at her sides and she stared into the sunlight willing herself not to cry.
"And? What are you dreams for the future?" Kakashi asked her as she shut her eyes tightly a small tear running down her cheek.
"They are no longer important." She whispered.
Sakura and Naruto gasped as they looked at her. Her dreams weren't important to her? Did Azuna really believe that? Azuna had actually had a dream once. It was to own an orphanage with her older brother and train the kids to be Shinobi. They had wanted to do this because when Azuna was still very young their father left them after trying to assassinate the Mizukage. They knew what it was like to feel abandoned and so they never wanted any children to feel like that ever. And that was their dream. But now he was dead Azuna didn't have one. She felt empty whenever she thought about her future. It was easier just to think she didn't have one.
Sasuke looked over at Azuna as she had her eyes shut tightly trying to make her tears stop falling. He looked down at her hands to discover that they were clenched at her side so tightly that blood was pouring from them where her nails were digging into her skin. He knew what she felt like. Crying but willing the tears away. But he wondered. What happened to her?
"Alright last one." Kakashi said as he looked towards the Uchiha boy. The girl Azuna intrigued him and he would have to integrate her later but for now he was moving on.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke said darkly his eyes still on Azuna. "I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy, a, certain, someone."
Gee I hope he uh doesn't mean me. Naruto thought worriedly. Sasuke is so hot. Sakura thought with a blush rising on her cheeks. Just as I thought, Kakashi thought sinisterly. Man, I just want to give him a hug. Azuna thought sadly as she gazed at Sasuke. His eyes met hers briefly and she gave him a small smile.
"Great, your each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi said as his eyes slid back to the Momochi girl.
"Ooh! What kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked happily forgetting Sasuke's dark words.
"It's a task that the five of us will do together."
"What, what, what, what?" Naruto piped.
"It's a survival exercise." Kakashi stated simply.
"Huh? A survival exercise?" Naruto said confused.
"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission not more practice." Sakura complained. "We already did this stuff at the academy that's how we got here."
"This is not like you previous training." Kakashi sighed.
"So uh, so uh, what kind of training is it then?" Naruto wondered aloud.
Kakashi started to laugh then. A sinister chuckle that sent small shivers up Azuna's spine. "Well that was creepy." Azuna whispered beside Sasuke.
"I know tell me about it." Sasuke whispered back.
"Hey hold on that's a normal question. What's so funny?" Sakura asked a bit annoyed.
"Well if I tell you the answer you're not going to like it." He laughed shaking his head.
"Huh?" Naruto said stupidly.
"Out of the twenty-eight graduates that just came here only ten will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words this is a make it or break it pass, fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent. See? Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it?"
"That's crazy we worked hard to be here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?"
"Oh that was just to select the candidates that might become Genin, or not."
"WHAT!" Naruto shouted clearly unhappy.
"That's how it is." Kakashi continued. "I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five a.m. and bring your ninja gear."
We'll I'm not going to be weeded out. People are going to look up to me someday. I've got to pass this test. Believe it. Be-lieve it. Naruto thought with determination. If I fail I'll be separated from Sasuke! This is a trial of love. Sakura thought also with determination. Sasuke just cracked his knuckles and Azuna was, well, Azuna wasn't really worried about the test at all. He wants me to be up at five am? Is this for real? She thought holding her head in her hands.
"That's it your dismissed." Kakashi said bored. "Oh and tomorrow you better skip breakfast or else you'll puke."
"Great so I can't sleep or eat." Azuna complained quietly as Sasuke chuckled quietly beside her.
The next day
At five a.m. the next morning Sasuke, Azuna, Sakura and Naruto all met each other at the right training ground. Sakura was rubbing her eyes and yawning as was Naruto. Sasuke had his wide awake bored look plastered onto his face and Azuna was, well, Azuna was asleep on Naruto's back.
"Uh Naruto, why are you carrying Azuna?" Sakura asked between yawns.
"Well after I woke her up, which she then planned my murder in great detail for, she got ready and as she was putting her headband on she fell asleep again."
"And you didn't bother to wake her up a second time?" Sakura said unbelieving.
"Did you not hear what I just said when I told you how I first woke her up? She planned my murder!" Naruto yelled tiredly as he pulled Azuna off his back and into his arms carrying her bridal style. "She's pretty light so I didn't mind carrying her though."
Naruto carefully placed Azuna on the soft ground putting her bag behind her head. Azuna's head turned away from Naruto and looked towards Sasuke as she slept peacefully. Azuna's peaceful face suddenly changed and her hands started to shake. What is she dreaming about? Sasuke wondered. For her to shake in her dreams it must be pretty bad.
After about an hour had passed and the sun rose. Azuna bolted up right panting and sweating slightly. Sasuke looked over at her with a frown. He used to wake up like that but what happened to him couldn't have happened to her. There was just no way. But why should he care? Whatever was wrong with her was her problem not his.
Azuna looked around and found that she was no longer in her apartment she shared with Naruto but in a training field. She looked over at Naruto who was beside her yawning with his eyes shut. She poked him continuously in the shoulder until he turned around.
"Oh hey Azuna you're up." Naruto said with another yawn.
"Mm yeah how did I get here?" Azuna asked retying her weapons pouch onto her sash making sure she could access her weapons quickly.
"I carried you." Naruto sighed.
"You carried me?" Azuna asked in surprise. "Wow I'm sorry about that; you didn't have to do that."
"It was either I carry you or you explain my murder to me, twice."
Azuna laughed embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Nozomi used to dump cold water on my head when he was –"
She gasped when she realised what she said her eyes became wide. She stared into nothing with shock and her hands shook. Azuna quickly shook her head and ignored the looks the three people on her team gave her.
"It's not important!" She laughed hastily. "The point is I don't wake up well but if you ever need to wake me up just do it quickly."
From there they just waited in silence for Kakashi-Sensei to show up. They waited for another three hours and they were all getting agitated, well, all except Sasuke who was keeping his cool.
"Morning everyone ready for your first day?" A bored voice asked them from behind.
Sakura and Naruto whipped around pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. "HEY YOU'RE LATE!" They both shouted. Azuna and Sasuke just stood with their arms cross indifferently.
"Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way." Kakashi-Sensei said with a closed eyed smile. "Well, ahem, let's get started."
The four Genin all watched in anticipation as Kakashi put a clock on one of four tree stumps. He pressed down a gold button and smiled. "Here we go. It's set for noon. Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." He said holding up three bells in his hand.
"If you can't get them by noon you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and watch as I eat my lunch in front of you."
All of the Genin looked mortified as they realised he told them not to eat breakfast to make it harder for them. Naruto who eats religiously was holding his hands and whining about it. Azuna however didn't really mind training on an empty stomach, she used to do it all the time with Nozomi.
"Wait a minute!" Sakura yelled. "There are four of us how come there are only three bells?"
"Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy. Then again all four of you could flunk out to. You can use any weapons including Shuriken. If you not prepared to kill me you won't be able to take the bells."
"Those weapons are too dangerous Sensei!" Sakura protested.
Naruto snickered and nodded. "Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser."
"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores: losers. When I say start you can begin."
Naruto who was already ticked off that someone called him a loser pulled out his Kunai knife and charged at Kakashi. He held about his head as he let out a battle cry, determined to make him pay for calling him a loser. But then in the blink of an eye Kakashi disappeared and appeared behind Naruto holding his hand and his hand they held the Kunai. Sasuke and Sakura stared at Kakashi in shock at his speed. Azuna however whose father used to be an ANBU and whose brother was a Jounin at sixteen was used to this.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet." Kakashi said slightly annoyed. He let Naruto go and he stumbled forward rubbing his arm.
He's so fast. I didn't even see it! Sakura thought in shock. So this is a Jounin. Sasuke pondered frowning. Nozomi was at least three times faster. Azuna thought to herself proud of her brother.
"But you came at me with the full intention of destroying me." Kakashi continued. "So how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys."
The whole team smiled at their Sensei and all lined up together as Kakashi continued even more. "So, get ready. And, start!" He announced.
All four Genin took off into the forest all with the intention of hiding. I'm going to get those bells. Azuna thought to herself. If it is the last thing I do.